Don Knabe Made His Last Report on the LA County as Its Supervisor

The last report on the state of the LA county made its retiring supervisor Don Knabe. It happened on Wednesday, and the meeting wasn’t all about the political affairs or economical changes, but more about Knabe’s reflecting on his job and expressing gratitude to his followers and close people.

The LA county supervisor made an emotional speech, saying he was proud to represent the people living there, and that he loved what he did and appreciated such a wonderful job. Don Knabe firstly came to public office in 1980 and spent all these years being full of determination and endurance. These qualities are still with him now, when he turned 73.

Both candidates on the post of supervisor of the LA county were present among the crowd of over 1,200 people listening to the final speech of the politician. The successor will be chosen on the 8th of November, and Don Knabe will be a private citizen as for the 5th of December.

The politician said that if someone told him in his 18 that he would become a supervisor for the 4th District, he would say he’d better spend the rest of his life catching fish near Mississippi, where he was born.

Eventually, he tied his life with water somehow, having served in the Navy. Only then he was elected to the City Council in 1980, working for Deane Dana – the LA County supervisor of that time. After many years of hard work, the man found himself sitting in his predecessor’s chair in 1996.

The 4th District includes about 2 million people, and Knabe is now one of the five supervisors of the county. He said in his final report that they often meet to decide some serious questions that sometimes determine the future for many people living in the area. Giving a hint to his successors, he told that 3 votes can often change the lives of so many people, fighting homelessness, improving healthcare industry, and fighting crime.

One of such great accomplishments was the creation of the Safe Surrender program, according to which a newborn could be left lawfully at a hospital or a fire station within 72 hours after birth. It was done in order to avoid babies’ abandonment.

Don Knabe mentioned that the Board of Supervisors that consists of only five people is considered one of the most powerful organizations, even though it doesn’t always open the doors to other offices. However, he expressed his opposition to increasing its influence even more by creating more seats within it.

He said that people asked for many things, like libraries, social workers, firefighters, etc., but there was no person who would ask for more supervisors. Nevertheless, he would like the media to pay more attention to what the Board does for the county.

Don Knabe finished his speech by talking about the lack of productive cooperation between people nowadays, mentioning arguing each other’s views instead of working together. He said that listening, discussing and cooperating are what matters for the common good.

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